Tag: personalized learning

High School and Personalized Learning

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In this article, discover how high school education is shifting towards personalized learning. Gain insight into the strategies administrators are using to meet the changing needs of teen students.

The Future of High School Education: Navigating the Shift to Personalized Learning

High school – a time of excitement, curiosity, exploration and growth. The world is filled with endless possibilities! Students have never been so empowered to explore their true potential and find paths that work for them. However, there’s no doubt that the high school experience has changed drastically in recent years. Technology advances and education evolves at an unprecedented pace.

Educational trends have been changing towards personalized learning approaches. We’ve thus seen a fundamental shift in how high school students learn within the classroom setting. But what exactly does this mean for the future of our educations? In this blog post, we’ll dive into the evolution of high school teaching styles to get an idea of just how far these changes can go!

What is personalized learning and how it is different from traditional schooling

If you’re a student who can’t seem to thrive in a traditional classroom setting, then personalized learning may just be your ticket to success. Personalized learning is an approach that tailors education to each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Unlike traditional schooling, which often relies on one-size-fits-all teaching methods, personalized learning takes into account diverse learning styles and interests. With the rise of technology, this future highschool is leaning towards this modern approach to education.

Another way in which learning has evolved

Another benefit of adaptative learning is that students don’t fear getting help anymore. Gone are the days when getting help was stigmatized. Today, students have a handy tool up their sleeves: the Edubirdie writing service. This content writing service is a lifesaver for students who need help with their research paper on nursing or different coursework about any other topic. With a reputation that precedes it, EduBirdie has become a go-to for students looking for high-quality writing assistance.

Whether you’re struggling to get started or just need a second pair of eyes to proofread your work, EduBirdie has got you covered. Thank goodness for technology! Read more for more benefits.

Benefits of personalizing education for high school student

Personalized education may be just what you need! Not sure? Here are five benefits.

Boosted Confidence. Once you start receiving education tailored to your individual learning style, you’ll gain a newfound confidence in your academic abilities.
Targeted Learning. Personalized education allows for teachers to focus specifically on each student’s areas of weakness. This can help them build up to their full potential.
Improved Performance. Students tend to perform better on assessments and standardized tests. It’s a proven fact!
Passion-Oriented Education. Got a passion? Personalized education can help you pursue it! Teachers can work with students to incorporate their interests into their coursework.
Increased Engagement. Are you tired of being bored in class? Personalization can help with that! When students feel that their unique needs are being met, they are more likely to be engaged and stay focused in class.

Obstacles with such strategy in the classroom setting

Picture it – a high school of the future, where every student has a tailored learning experience to fit their unique needs and interests. Sounds nice, right?

Indeed. But nothing comes without challenges. In fact, technology can have both positives and negatives. It allows us to individualize instruction but it also requires significant investment and upkeep.

Then there’s the challenge of teacher preparation. We need to ensure educators are equipped to facilitate this type of learning environment. Plus, monitoring progress and assessment can become more complex as time goes by. That’s when students are all working on different tasks.

And last but not least, there’s the issue of equity. We need to ensure that personalized learning doesn’t perpetuate disparities.

How technology can support personalized learning in the classroom

With the increasing advancement in technology, personalized learning can be implemented quite easily in this so-called highschool of the future. AI-driven content is quickly becoming a reliable and robust alternative to traditional textbooks. Students can absorb information that caters to their personal learning styles. Furthermore, with VR technology, students can experience interactive and immersive learning experiences. VR adds a whole new dimension to learning that is both exciting and educational.

Plus, adaptive learning platforms and interactive whiteboards are also available to support this. Teachers can also use learning management systems to provide students with individualized assignments and assessments. Thus, while augmented reality can transport students to new and exciting learning environments. And let’s not forget about gamification! This is where game-based learning can motivate and engage students while providing them with immediate feedback.

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The future of high school education is looking quite promising as we navigate the shift to personalized learning. No longer do we have to sit through lectures and activities that don’t appeal to our interests or learning styles. Instead, we’re able to take control of our education and tailor it to our unique needs. It’s like having a personal trainer for our brain! Plus, we can expect to see even more exciting changes in the years to come. So let’s buckle up, embrace the shift, and get ready for a high school experience that is truly personalized and fulfilling.

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Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Differentiation Simplified with Study.com

Study.com is an online distance learning portal that provides over 70,000 lessons in fifteen subjects (including algebra, calculus, chemistry, macro- and microeconomics, and physics) aligned with many popular textbooks. Resources include not only videos but study tools, guides, and more. You can read more detail on my Study.com review here.

Today, I want to talk about Study.com’s emphasis on differentiated instruction.

When I first discovered Study.com, I was blown away by its unique approach to providing passionate learners with a college education that fit their lifestyle. If you are that person who struggles with traditional campus-based classes, has a full-time demanding job, can’t get to a campus because of transportation issues, lives on a tight budget but still values high-quality education, AND you are committed to earning a college degree, do yourself a favor and visit Study.com’s website. I’ve worked with Study.com in the past and come to realize the high value they place on differentiating instruction and meeting students where they are ready to learn, so when they wanted to share the news of their online class teaching the basics of differentiating in the classroom, they knew I would want to help.

To me and many other educators:

Differentiated instruction is at the core of effective teaching.

What is differentiation?

Differentiated learning can be defined this way:

With differentiated instruction, teachers proactively create options to accommodate a diverse range of learners while keeping the whole class on track. Teachers observe students carefully in order to design experiences that match the learning styles of the class and the differing levels of ability and understanding. —Study.com

You might call it ‘personalized learning’ or even ‘blended learning’ but at its most basic, differentiated learning is teaching in ways that best serve individual students–providing different resources and lesson plans to suit different learning styles. If for you, the term ‘differentiation’ should always be followed with, “Where am I supposed to find the time?“, it’s because too often, differentiation is conflated with the tedium of creating individual lesson plans for each and every student. Me, I’ve never done that. Instead, I offer a variety of media that address the lesson. Students do the work of picking what is best for them and selecting the assessment medium best suited to their communication style be it audio, video, text, visual, music, art, or another.

Key principles of differentiation

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Education Galaxy–Personalized Learning That’s Fun

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The start of a new school year is always busy. New students, new parents, new rules at school–but there’s one more piece that shakes up my education ecosystem: new webtools. I get so many recommendations from colleagues, trusted forums, and my Twitter feed. I recently previewed one I think you’ll like called Education Galaxy. It’s online assessment, practice, and instruction for K-6 students with a tagline:

Curiously fun, amazingly effective, refreshingly affordable.

I give new webtools about two minutes. By then, I’m ready to read on or move on. Stipulating that I haven’t yet used this one, here’s what teachers say about Education Galaxy that kept me reading:

“…95% of my students passed the state test and I feel I owe it to Education Galaxy.”

“One of my teachers just mentioned how well she feels Education Galaxy prepared her students for K-PREP. We are very happy that we found Education Galaxy!”

Do you see what I mean? Thankfully, Jeremy Verret, the founder of Education Galaxy, provided me with more information:

What is Education Galaxy?

Education Galaxy provides online assessment, practice, and instruction in a highly engaging environment for students. Education Galaxy supports math, reading, language arts, and science at the elementary level (K-6).

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Differentiating with Personalized Learning

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Personalized learning is the latest buzzword in an education environment bursting with new ideas but this one is impressive. In a sentence, personalized learning:

“tailors instruction, expression of learning, and assessment to each student’s unique needs and preferences.” — ISTE

If you think it sounds like differentiated instruction, it does with this caveat: Personalized learning is student-directed, student-paced, and designed for each learner.

Why switch to personalized learning?

There are many reasons to take a deep dive into personalized learning. Some schools realize students aren’t learning to their full potential. They see this not just in test results but in student response to the grade-level curricula. They feel it is unrelated to what happens to them outside of school. We as teachers know that math and science can easily be taught using real-life experiences in lieu of a textbook. The problem in the past has been convincing our learning partners of that truth. Now, anecdotal evidence shows that well-delivered personalized learning encourages excitement about learning, improves test scores, and leaves students wanting to learn even complicated math and science topics.

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